Writing on cakes, even simple messages like Happy Birthday, can be daunting for some considering the time and effort that went into baking and icing the cake to get it ready for edible lettering. Real Simple magazine's weblog recommends first writing text on your cakes with a toothpick and going back over that with a pastry bag.

The beauty of using a toothpick is that if you make a colossal error you can smooth over the icing and try again until you get it right. You may also want to practice writing with a pastry bag on a plate to familiarize yourself with how the frosting flows from the tip.